What do we think of non-M BMW 5-series? 2000 528i?

Made C & D's 10-best list for MY2000.  Reviews sound favorable.  If I found a stick, should I buy it?  Looking for dependable car for new driver.

Excellent cars, considered by some techs the best modern BMW chassis ever made. At this age, however, reliability is going to be almost entirely a function of how well the car was maintained. If you can find an accident-free, well-maintained example, buy it. If not, well, it becomes a question of how cheaply you can get it, as you will be doing all the deferred maintenance. Thankfully, they are fairly easy to work on.

I’ve had four, three estates. My 528it sport was one of my favorite cars I’ve ever owned. They are reasonable to work on, eat up miles, have a solid feeling chassis and get decent mileage. 

I'd look for one with the sport option if possible.

We berkeleying love them!

I bought a one owner 2001 530i about a year (and 20k miles) ago. It needed a bunch of seals (oil pan, ps hoses, oil filter housing) and I replaced the front end bushings.

I love it. The automatic is actually quite brilliant, and I haven’t missed the manual trans (for this type of car). Fantastic hwy car, 25mpg. Good parts availability, like all BMW’s. 

Beware the cooling system: it has a definite, finite life, and the later cars came with an aluminium block (m54) that doesn’t handle even a short overheat well.

528i should be an iron block, unlike the self-destructing alloy block M54. That said, Nathan is quite correct that the cooling system components are worth about 100k miles and will then begin to fail with alarming regularity. Unless you have proof of it being done, just do the whole thing once and be done with it - it's a few hours easy work and maybe $600 in parts.

I’ve got a 2001 525i wagon which I’m using as a daily. It’s just about to turn 230K miles, still drives fantastic and eats up miles. 

2nd the autos in these are not bad.. always seems to do just what you want. 

The 5AT in my E38 was about the best-performing auto I've ever had.  

Okay, two more questions:

1)  How is the 3.0 in the 2001 model?  Trouble spots?  

2)  How many miles is too many?  200k?  250k?  How many miles before these engines need an overhaul?   

The M54B30 is all-alloy, so overheating becomes a Very Bad Thing in nanoseconds. Budget for immediate cooling system replacement upon receipt unless you can prove it's been done. The CCV system is notoriously problematic; that, combined with a poor low-tension ring design, means that many M54s burn oil. Thankfully, a solution exists - I have a very long thread over on Bimmerforums with all the details, or just search "02Pilot mod" and you'll find plenty of resources.

My sample size of one is that my ex-01 525i is still happily spinning away at around 220k miles. That's with religious oil service every 5k since I got it at 100k and frequent redline excursions. If it hasn't been neglected and the CCV works, the bottom end should be quite durable. With BMWs, the harder they've been driven (assuming regular maintenance) the better they seem to be.

I found a sport package, 5-speed car on CL for $3000.  But it has 218k.  That seems like an awful, awful lot.

With 218k miles, $3000 is indeed an awful, awful lot of money for one. Not for the motor, as I have friends with 230k+ miles on their M52 motors that track them often. My M52 (328i) has 229k miles and is still being tracked too.

I like them. They drive as well as cars 10 years newer than them. What everybody else said is correct, just keep in mind the earlier 528i's had a 4AT and not the later 5AT (I think the switch was 2000,  just look at the gear selector and if it has the +/- instead of the row of numbers, then it is the 5AT). The 4AT is a GM unit and the 5AT may be a ZF (or a GM also, I don't recall). Don't have to worry about the the manual transmissions at all, but some may have a bad shift detent so neutral is leaning towards 5th. I looked at them hard but in the end decided to get a new car with warranty to reduce unexpected repairs during my 100mi/day commute.

Im digging the 99 528i wagon i picjed up. 175k and plenty of deferred maintenance, but almost all caught up now.

This isn't a sports car. It doesn't even handle particularly well, isn't fast, and doesn't stop on a dime and give 9 cents change.

But its incrediblycomfortable, gets 24-26 mpg mixed, eats miles, and does everything better than an accord or camry of the same era.

Parys have been more needed than accord or camry, but so far have been similarly priced. 

Vacuum leaks are evil, and ive been fighting the cel since i picked it up.

Just my experience so far.

Thanks for the feedback, guys! 

For the record, this latest car I'm looking at has the M54, not the M52.  So, alloy.  But weren't M52's of that era also alloy blocks?

MINIzguy said:

With 218k miles, $3000 is indeed an awful, awful lot of money for one.

I dunno.  That one is gone in less than 24 hours.  Also sold is the slightly ratty 2000.  Around here, manual BMW's seem to be in short supply, but there is a pretty good number of folks seeking them.  It's a seller's market.

Huh. When I sold mine (01 525i, blk/blk, 5MT, sport & premium packages, upgraded suspension, an extra set of mounted snows, roof racks, and a thick book of records) last summer I listed it for something around $2000 and it took a while to sell. It eventually went to a buddy of mine (he bought it as soon as I told him I was selling, as he knew the car - I hadn't known he was interested), who is still driving it daily.

I have a manual '97 non-sport package that's a little rough around the edges that I'm looking to get rid of.  I'm in MO.  It needs some cooling system love and a berkeleying squirrel ate part of the cruise control actuator and chewed through a headlight wiring pigtail, but I'm looking to get out from under it cheap and it only has ~125k.  If you're wanting to travel.

1988RedT2 said:

For the record, this latest car I'm looking at has the M54, not the M52.  So, alloy.  But weren't M52's of that era also alloy blocks?

I think there were both. A little googling suggests some non-Z3 North American cars got iron blocks, the rest being aluminum.

In reply to psteav :

I appreciate the offer, but I'm looking locally.  Family responsibilities kinda push the car search thing down the priority list, and time to check out candidates is not easy to come by.  Also, being the shallow person that I am, she pretty much needs a perfect body AND be beautiful on the inside as well.

In reply to 1988RedT2 :

I understand.  It's a long haul for a beater, and they made enough of these that you'll probably find a clean one eventually.  If you change your mind, I'm gonna have it on the $2018 classifieds this weekend.

In reply to psteav :

Is it gone already?  I went to look for it today and couldn't find it.

I drove a 530i today.  Drives quite well.  Has a few scuffs on it.  Weather stripping on drivers door needs replacing.  What's up with BMW plastic doors sills?  They're all crumbling and look like heck.

In reply to 1988RedT2 :

No, house projects took priority so I didn't get it cleaned out and cleaned up.  I'll shoot for this weekend.